The Minnesota expo is a new show
(3rd year) in development mode, a junior working to
grow up to the big boy’s level. (All our other
expos are 16 years old or older; they’re developed
markets.) Minnesota booth rates have been changed to
reflect the expo’s developmental status, with
a bonus opportunity -- the more expos you book with
us, the lower your booth fee will be. Every additional
expo booked reduces your Minnesota booth fee by $20.
This is a great hunting/shooting market and expo location!
The potential is tremendous. All this expo needs is
time. Minnesota has 504,000 deer hunters (firearms &
bow), and 22,000 turkey hunters. It's one of the better
markets in the U.S., with a strong hunting tradition.
***
This is a bonus to all exhibiting
manufacturers, reps and retailers. Display your new
products twice -- once in your booth AND once in this
special table display just inside the front door at
every expo, where everyone will see it first. Many people
want the opportunity to examine a product before talking
with a factory representative.
There's to place your product
in this special marketing area.
Each product is identified by name,
manufacturer and booth number. Interested prospects
will come to your booth for details and discussion.
This is that perfect opportunity. Remember
... product demand largely is created from the bottom
up.
***
Friday at four expos will
feature a mini-tradeshow for all dealers of shooting
and hunting equipment throughout each expo’s multi-state
market reach. It’s a BONUS OPPORTUNITY to write
orders.
Hours are 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.,
same as public hours. All visiting dealers will have
easily-noted identification.
This is a good place for manufacturers,
reps and other exhibitors to meet dealers who probably
didn’t attend a national tradeshow.
Fewer than 25% of all shooting/hunting
dealers attend national tradeshows. Many dealers never
or very seldom see people “from the factory”.
This is a market you don’t want to miss, and now
you can reach it easily ... at NO EXTRA?COST.
All participating exhibitors will
have their booths identified; there will be an exhibitors
directory of manufacturers and reps participating in
this special sales effort, and all visiting dealers
will have identification badges.
So SAVE time and money. Get the
dealers to come to you. It’s a win-win.
*** |
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The minimum footage for bulk space
exhibit rates is 600 square feet. In Ohio, several
large areas along the south wall have been specifically
created for larger displays.
***
This was our biggest hit in many years. We will
build on it in 2008. We hope you do, too. Although brand
new in 2007, the demo area coupled with a food plot
and habitat development super-seminar was one of the
main reasons people attended our expos, according to
our survey cards. Mainly for deer, the plot concept
still is strong for turkeys.
***
There’s high interest in seeing the wildlife
near your stand that you don’t see when you’re
there. Many of the results are surprising. The contest
will have several divisions and prizes. This is another
highly promotable item that should draw great attention.
***
Treestand safety is a serious subject, but, as
the cliche notes, ‘a spoonful of sugar makes the
medicine go down’. So we had a whopping big treestand
built -- a 7’ x 7’ platform seven feet off
the floor, with a secure stairway up to the platform
and a secure railing around the platform. Then we invited
everyone attending the expos to come on up for a bird’s-eye
view of the exhibit floor, wave to their friends, take
a couple of photos and enjoy themselves.
We were planning to call it the World’s
Largest Treestand, but realized that if we did that,
half a dozen people would show up with photos of their
mansions-on-stilts and tell us “Oh, yeah. See
this!”
So we decided to have a little fun. Mention
of the ‘almost-largest’ never failed to
bring a smile, and that’s a good way to get peoples’
attention about a very serious topic.
The 2008 efforts should improve the selling
atmosphere for treestands, safety harnesses and all
other treestand-related accessories.
***
This is a bonus opportunity for optics (binoculars,
firearms scopes, spotting scopes) manufacturers, reps
and retailers to get their product into prospects’
hands for tryout and personal inspection. In today’s
market, the faster you can get your product -- especially
a new product -- in a potential customer’s hands,
the better your marketing and sales promotion program
works.
***
Wildlife has many values -- observation, hunting,
and food on the table, as the main three. The cooking
seminars immediately follow the venison butchering/processing
demonstrations, adding value to both of them. The circle
is now complete -- how-to-hunt seminars, butchering/processing
demonstrations, and cooking information. |
